A major part of the fear, and the concept of ghosts, vampires, etc., stems from the primorial problem of death itself.
Someone you knew died. The remains are still there, but the motivating force and the ego are gone...or are they?
Are the dead 'gone,' or does the ego move on...or simply hover about us.
Do the dead remain dead...or can they rise again, as with a vampire or zombie?
Hence the traditions of burial. Place the body in the ground or a tomb where it will remain imprisoned. Be sure to bury it respectfully; dress it well, maybe bury its belongings with it.
Let it have no reason to want to come back to level a grievance against the living.
In a nutshell, ancient man's confusion with death, and their fear of the dead has never left the human psyche.

Steve

Correct, and if you did not have unfinished business.... why would you worry?

I couldn't agree more, Jonathan. We all have unfinished business or unrealized desires.

So in some ways, cemeteries are less about death than they are reminders to the living to do the things we dream -- not later, but now, before we no longer have the opportunity.

It reminds me of the Rider Waite tarot card depicting Judgment: people standing in their graves, called into action by the archangel's trumpet blast.

Wake up! T'kiyah! Carpe diem!

Best,
Neil

I really enjoyed working in a cemetary and the mechanics of working there were a revelation. The traquility of being there from dawn util night fall were comfortable.... Add to that, I had hundred of people under me and many more dying to get in! (I just couldn't help it...)
Slim

As peaceful as cemetaries can be, I think there will always be a small part of us that is uneasy being reminded of our eventual fates. There's always that little voice out there that whispers to us, "Yes... you too will be here one day... count on it..."